In continuing in their conversation from Accelerate Giving’16, Ministry Ventures president, Jon Bennett, and Jim Sheppard turn their attention to raising funds with the Millennial generation. Contrary to belief, Millennials can be very generous, but they don’t give based on the same motivations as previous generations. Millennials like to give to causes. If you cast your organization as a cause, rather than an organization, you’ll be ahead of the pack. Particularly your cause needs to be conveyed as a cause that God is concerned about. There also needs to be conviction that shows your ministry being important to the heart of God. Giving also needs to be convenient for Millennials. Gone are the days of sending in checks by mail, make sure you have a way of donating online or in person with a card reader.

Jim also talks about the intersection of all significant gift decisions. In Jim’s experience, donors are looking to give their money to an organization that matches what they want to do with their money. If you know that a specific donor has a passion for a particular cause, you need to make an effort to show that your ministry aligns with that passion as organically as possible.

Finally, Jon asks Jim about making a specific ask. Jim shares how important it is to be specific when asking for donations. You need to be prepared to ask for specific gift amounts from major donors. Do your research and don’t be timid! Rarely will a donor completely refuse to give if you ask for too much so be bold. If you ask for more than they are willing to give you’ll likely receive what they are willing to give. But if you don’t ask for the amount that they are willing to give, they will only give what you asked for.